Antrim football boss Liam Bradley has not had his sorrows to seek recently.

They had a less than impressive league campaign, CJ McGourty was axed followed by the defection of Michael Pollock and Chris Kerr. Together with the buoyancy of the county hurling team, they are all serving to bring their own pressures to bear on Bradley.

Now midfield ace Brendan Hasson has one eye on the clock in the countdown to the Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final clash with Fermanagh.

He sustained an ankle injury in the latter stages of the league which now threatens his involvement in that game and means that Bradley may not have as much cover for the central area as he first thought.

"I've spent the past few weeks nursing the injury and I'm desperately keen to be part of the Championship action," states Hasson.

"The rest of the lads are training hard so they are a step ahead of me. I'm not actually back on the playing pitch as yet, but I'm certainly making every effort to get back to where I want to be."

Hasson had played in all of Antrim's league games until suffering his injury in training following the match against Tipperary.

He missed the last two games against Clare and London – and thus relinquished the opportunity to bed down further in the rather unusual role he had been fulfiling within the side.

"I was generally lining out at full-forward in the league and while I was happy enough there, I still see myself as a midfielder," explains Hasson.

"Obviously Sean McVeigh, Michael McCann and Niall McKeever are all in the hunt for places against Fermanagh and naturally I want to be competing for a role, but I don't think we will be found wanting in midfield no matter who forms the partnership."

Hasson (27) in his in his final year at St Mary's University College and is currently juggling studies and playing commitments.

"There's a good spirit within this Antrim squad and the training is enjoyable. That's what makes it all the more frustrating not to be able to take part fully in what is going on," he said.